The present invention relates generally to automated loading of fuel assemblies for nuclear reactors. It comprises a funnel assembly temporarily mounted on a length of cladding to facilitate automated loading procedures.
This disclosure relates to a unique funnel assembly that is frictionally held in place at the open end of a length of cladding to present an enlarged diameter extension to facilitate loading of fuel pellets.
Prior devices for automatically filling fuel pellets within lengths of cladding have used stationary feeding heads having tapered inner surfaces for guiding the pellets into an abutting open end of the cladding. Examples are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,746,190 (element 24) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,158,601 (element 88).
When designing a fuel loading system that is totally automated, very careful attention must be directed to contamination difficulties. Merely contacting a feed head with the open cylindrical end of a length of cladding presents substantial possibilities of contamination as a result of such simple abutting contact. The present disclosure addresses this problem by utilizing a discardable funnel mounted within each length of cladding and by protecting the outer surfaces of both the funnel and cladding by utilization of an encircling length of shrink tubing.